PROBLEMS OF REFUGEES AND THEIR FUTURE

Güneydogum Dernegi operating in Ankara conducted a workshop entitled “Problems of Refugees and Their Future” on 12 May 2016 with the support and hosting of Ankara Commodity Exchange. Representatives from ministries and public institutions, particularly AFAD and Directorate General of Migration Management, academicians from various universities, local authorities from the provinces hosting refugees, representatives from research centers and NGOs, and representatives from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) attended the workshop. Problems of refugees, particularly Syrians, in Turkey and solution suggestions were discussed in the workshop. Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM) contributed to the workshop by paving the way for discussions and conducting a session in which political, socio-economic reasons of refugee issue, its outcomes and policy suggestions were discussed. This study covers notes from this session.

At the first presentation of ORSAM session, Professor Dr. Harun Ozturkler presented a report entitled “Syrian Refugees in Turkey, An Economic Review”. This report includes what is meant by refugee economy, what is included in the scope of refugee economy, what are the refugees’ decisions regarding immigration, socio-political impacts of different decision processes on host countries, and economic policy suggestions. In the second presentation ORSAM researcher Oytun Orhan presented a report entitled “Situation of Syrians in Neighboring Countries”. Orhan pointed out that Syrian refugee issue is the biggest flow of migration in the world, and unlike other migrant flows, it affects the Middle East and North Africa as well as Europe and many other countries in the world. Orhan analyzed Syrian refugee issue in the context of particularly neigboring 4 countries Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq and within the framework of population density, relative strength of resources and expenses which are made for refugees in these countries, current services, solutions and policy suggestions. The last report of ORSAM session was presented by Assist Prof. Başak Yavcan from TOBB University. In her report entitled “Syrian Refugees and Importance of Integration”, Yavcan emphasized that it should be accepted that some Syrian refugees will stay permanetly in Turkey and other countries where they are present because of the prolonging Syrian crisis. Yavcan stated that the acceptance of permanence of refugees is necessary for planning processes of social, political and economic integration.

This session, in which different aspects of Syrian refugee issue was addressed, is also published as a report with the thought that it could be useful for relevant experts. We wish you a pleasant reading.